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FARMING 



BY 
EDGAR W.PHILO 



FARMING 



WITH 



ALFALFA BACTERIA CULTURE 



EDGAR W? PHILO 



99 



FIRST EDITION 



1916 



•1 



NEW THOUGHT 

In Regard to Building Up Abandonded 

Farms and Improving Good Ones. 



COPYRIGHTED 1915 

BY 

EDGAR W. PHILO 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 







DEC -6 1915 




A birdseye view showing some of our hill farms. Alfalfa is 
now growing at the highest point. 



INTRODUCTION. 

To make a poor farm profitable without investing 
more than the original cost of the land is a subject that 
has had the most careful thought and study. Farm pub- 
lications, agricultural books and experimental station re- 
ports are filled with good advice furnishing statistics, 
formulas and theories that are often found valuable. 

There seems to be a lack of information, however, 
about many of the little things one should know regard- 
ing the. germination of seed, what is best for the plant 
each day as it struggles between life and death for its 
existence, if it fails to become thoroughly established and 
does not reach maturity the reason for such failure; and 
when it does grow to perfection the reason for such 
growth, except in a general way without furnishing any 
definite knowledge from which to base su^^h opinions. 

We are all interested in any plan that will increase 
our income and give us time to enjoy some of the pleas- 
ures that are essential to make us contented and happy. 
It is believed that the discoveries made and things 
recently learned from experience will go a long way 
toward bringing about these most favorable conditions in 



4 FARMING 

a simple, easy way that will be found practicable for 
anyone to adopt who owns or works a farm. 

Some of the things learned that are herein explain- 
ed have thrown new light on the subject of farming and 
by taking advantage of the knowledge gained some of 
the poorest fields are responding with yearly produc- 
tions, fully five times greater in value than the original 
cost of the land. 

Realizing the importance of accomplishing results 
without making radical changes and also without the 
investment of large sums of money, an effort has been 
made along lines that would help the average farmer 
and especially those who find it difficult to get satis- 
factory returns. 

Details of the work for growing alfalfa and the 
necessary bacteria are the only ones given as one's suc- 
cess is assured after once getting alfalfa established, 
when all other crops can be grown to perfection on 
ground where alfalfa or sweet clover has been plowed 
under. A few hints and suggestions about other things 
in connection with the farm are briefly referred to 
that the reader may better understand some of the 
methods employed to convert alfalfa into money. 

Although some of the discoveries made and referred 
to are only of recent origin, the results on our farms are 
plainly noticeable in comparision with the surrounding 
farms, and there has been a steady, annual increase in 
the production and profits. It will be a pleasure to hear 
from those who follow these instructions and it is hoped 
that the results will be equal to those I have had. 

E. W. PHILO 



FARMING 



DISCOVERIES. 



One of my recent discoveries which, I believe, is of 
the greatest value is in learning the nature of the alfalfa 
plant from the time the seed first germinates until it 




These two jars were filled with soil from one of our poorest 

fields. The soil where the larger plant is shown had an 

application of alfalfa bacteria culture. The seeds 

were planted the same day and had the 

same care. 

comes to maturity. A study from seed tests, soil tests 
and from numerous experiments has plainly shown some 
things about the growth and development of the alfalfa 



6 



FARMING 



plant not generally knov/n. When the conditions of 
heat and moisture are best for the germination of the 
alfalfa seed, a root growth, a quarter of an inch long will 
appear in twenty-four hours after planting. A moist 




The same plants as shown in No. 1, after shaking the dirt 

from the roots. Note the number of branch roots on the 

larger plant that furnish nourishment and that hold 

the plant in position on ground that heaves with 

the frost. 



FARMING 7 

soil with a temperature of 75 to 80 degrees is most 
favorable for early germination. On account of this 
rapid development about 90 per cent, of the new growth 
will consist of moisture. 

The rapid development and the tender nature of the 
sprouted alfalfa seed causes the plant to be very tender 
and easily killed. Fields of newly seeded alfalfa con- 
sisting of five to ten acres where nearly every seed had 
started to grow, have been completely destroyed three 
days after sowing the seed, on account of the tender 
sprouts being overheated from the direct rays of the 
sun. From these losses we have learned that a sun 
temperature of 85 to 95 degrees, during the summer 
months, will kill every alfalfa sprout before it reaches 
the surface or is within one-quarter of an inch of the 
surface soon after planting. In every case these results 
were had when an effort was made to follow the best 
instructions obtainable at the time. 

Some one has stated that they have been successful 
in growing alfalfa by planting the seed in June and 
others have reported success with August planting and, 
I doubt, if there is one of these who can state their rea- 
son for success or any one who can say why they were 
not successful when failing to secure a good stand by 
planting at the season of the year referred to above. 

The writer was probably the first to discover and 
publish facts relative to the value of alfalfa in the pro- 
duction of the best eggs for hatching and for the vitality 
and rapid growth of the chickens. From these experi- 
ments the value of alfalfa as a poultry food was learned 
and when our farms were purchased the things we had 
in mind were to grow alfalfa and clover and even 
though the former owners told us that neither of these 
crops could be grown on their land we were determined 
to make a trial and after a very few years are now har- 



8 FARMING 

vesting several hundred tons of alfalfa hay annually. 
At the present rate of increase we should get fully a 
thousand tons each season within two or three years. 




Some of the potatoes where the yield was over three hundred 
bushels to the acre grown on land that had beeii 
practically abandoned. 

ABANDONED FARMS. 

There is no farm too poor or worn out to produce 
many things profitably and by their production the land 
is made better year after year until crops requiring the 
richest land can be grown successfully. 

There are many ways to make a good living from a 
poor farm. If the soil, the climate and the markets were 
the same in every section of the country where this book 
will find its way to the farmers homes, it would not be 
so difficult to outline a plan and furnish complete in- 
structions, for everyone to follow, that would result in 
the greatest success in the shortest space of time. 

Poultry, hogs, sheep and cattle can be made to 
thrive and return large profits on the poorest soil. To 



FARMING 9 

make them the most profitable, however, there should 
never be more kept on the farm than it will support and 
the farmer will have time to care for. Poultry, or any 
of the animals, should never be kept unless they can 
be given the best care. It does not require a great num- 
ber of them to furnish a good living on a very poor farm 
and at the same time gradually make fertile fields for 
growing bumper crops. 

Before fields of sweet clover or alfalfa are ready to 
be harvested the number of animals kept should be 
limited, although there is seldom a farm too poor to 
grow Dwarf Essex Rape or some of the other legu- 
minous, annual plants that will furnish the best food for 
poultry, hogs and cattle, the same season it is planted. 

There was never a better time or brighter prospects 
for large profits from poultry, eggs, pork, mutton, beef, 
milk and butter than at the present time and those who 
are in position to take advantage of the opportunity will 
be amply rewarded. While all or some of these things, 
even in a small way, will help to pay living expenses at 
first, besides helping to build up the land it is believed 
that the fertility in poor soil can be completely restored 
or supplied from plant growth alone, although, the time 
required to make the work profitable will be greater 
than when the plan of farming is more diversified. 

The experience one has in building up a poor farm 
will be of the greatest value in keeping up the farm 
after it has been improved, or in handling the best farms 
in a way to realize the greatest profits without per- 
manent injury to the land. 

IMPROVING THE FARM. 

The most difl[icult part in connection with building 
up a farm without purchasing fertilizer or fertilizing 
elements is to provide a suflficient income for a year or 



10 



FARMING 



two, while the improvements are being made. While 
it is possible to receive some benefit within a few months 
after commencing the work of re-establishing fertility 
the real advantages are not so plainly noticeable until 
the second year and, of course, with a continuance of 
the same methods there will be an increase in produc- 



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Sweet clover that would cut five tons to the acre on land where 

corn grew only a foot high. The land is now fitted for 

growing 150 bushels of corn or 300 bushels of 

potatoes to the acre. 

tion, year after year. While there are numerous plants 
that can be used for re-establishing fertility, it is believed 
that alfalfa and sweet clover will be found the best agen- 
cies on nearly all farms and under widely, varying con- 
ditions. 

There is such a large percentage of farmers who 
must realize something as quickly as they can to meet 
outstanding accounts that they do not look with a great 
deal of interest on any plan that would require a year 
or more to return an income. They do not realize that 



FARMING 11 

experiments can be tried in a small, inexpensive way 
that will teach them how to handle each separate field 
of their farm to the best advantage. 

Farmers who have but a small income cannot afford 
to be radical when making plans for farm improve- 
ments, neither is it necessary. Most failures in all 
branches of business are the direct results of starting in 
too large a way or plunging into some kind of business 
without first having sufficient knowledge of the work. 
Nearly every farmer could make more clear money and 
with less labor by tilling a smaller acreage and doing 
the work better. 

Purchasing and applying the material that has 
been exhausted by continuous cropping is too expensive 
for the average farmer and the benefit derived from 
such applications will not be permanent. It is true that 
deep ploughing and subsoiling on most land will 
gradually bring the mineral elements near the surface 
and thereby help to re-establish fertility. While this 
process of getting new mineral elements where they can 
be used by the growing crops can be made a success, it 
is not considered necessary in localities and on land that 
will grow alfalfa or sweet clover successfully, by adopt- 
ing the system of inoculation and planting as referred to 
in this book. In addition to restoring the mineral ele- 
ments it also adds humus which furnishes nitrogen and 
retains quantities of moisture through the dry season 
which are probably the most important factors in 
growing farm crops to perfection. 

Thorough tillage is of the greatest importance in 
growing alfalfa or in fact any other crop as it improves 
the physical condition, separates and shifts the position 
of soil particles bringing them in diff"erent relation to 
each other and causing new chemical action between 
different fertilizing elements that is instrumental in 



12 FARMING 

making the plant food available. To promote new chemi- 
cal action there must be a complete change in the rel- 
ative position of soil particles. This, of course, prac- 
ticed continuously would result in depleting the soil of 
the necessary plant food, were it not for the fact that 
all of the fertilizing elements can be quickly restored and 
increased, through the agencies of sweet clover, alfalfa 
and other plants of a like nature. 

ALFALFA ON THE SMALLEST FARM. 

The smallest farms can grow alfalfa successfully 
even though they may not be provided with plows, har- 
rows, drills, etc. It would certainly pay to grow alfalfa 
even though it were necessary to spade the ground, fit 
it with a garden rake and sow the seed by hand. A 
full month's labor for one man fitting an acre of land 
and sowing alfalfa would be a good investment. When 
one does not have the necessary time to prepare an acre 
of land in this way and is not in a position to purchase 
the necessary seed a small plot should be started even 
though it may not be more than a few square rod. A 
pound of seed will make quite a substantial showing and 
after once sowing even a very small field it is compara- 
tively easy to increase the area each year until there is 
enough alfalfa growing to meet the requirements of the 
farm. A small beginning in this way if followed up 
year after year will result in a greater financial success 
than would be considered possible without knowing 
from experience the value of alfalfa. 

THE BEST SEASON OF THE YEAR FOR 
SOWING ALFALFA SEED. 

In nearly every section of the country where there 
is from four to six months cold winter weather the seed 
sown early in the spring has many advantages over late 
spring, summer or fall sowing. The month when con- 



FARMING 13 

ditions are best will vary according to climatic and 
weather conditions. In New York State the most de- 
sirable conditions are generally had during the last 
half of April or the first half of May. Some years, how- 
ever, the seed can be sown to advantage early in April 
and other years it has been impossible to get the land in 
proper condition for sowing the seed until the last of 
May. 

The early spring sowing makes better fields of 
alfalfa, as the ground is then moist and cold and the 
seed does not germinate as quickly as in warmer 
weather, neither do the plants grow as rapidly during 
the first week. Because of the delayed process in ger- 
minating the plant is much hardier and there is not any 
danger of its being killed by excessive heat which has 
been the case with a great many fields sown in June, 
July and August. During these warm months when the 
conditions of heat and moisture are most favorable for 
rapid germination, the seed will sprout in twenty-four 
hours and the young plant will often appear above 
ground two days after sowing the seed. On account of 
this rapid process of sprouting and growing the plants 
are very tender and are easily killed by the sun on a 
hot summer's day. In several fields we have had a good 
stand of alfalfa plants one day and nearly every plant 
killed the next day. The direct rays of the sun were 
too hot for the tender sprouts as they are composed al- 
most entirely of water the first day after sprouting. This 
never occurs in the spring when the ground is cool, the 
plants are then hardier and the sun is not warm enough 
to injure them. 

All the articles I have seen on growing alfalfa, have 
advised against sowing the seed until after all danger 
of frost is over. In my own experience I never had a field 
of alfalfa injured by the frost that was sown in the early 



14 



FARMING 



spring. Some of our fields were frozen so hard, last 
spring, that a loaded wagon could be drawn over the 
ground without breaking through the crust and the 
plants that were only just out of the ground were not 
injured by the frost. 

A test was made one year sowing seed late in 
October, When only about half of the seed had ger- 
minated the weather turned cold and the ground was 




f/'m^:;i\kiiV&.«;r¥.-rT! 2k V; -Mf"^ tiii^ 



The fourth crop of alfalfa on land that had a heavy applica- 
tion of litter from the poultry coops, in addition to the 
alfalfa bacteria culture. 

frozen and did not thaw until the following spring. It 
was really a surprise to find plants, in the spring, with 
only two of their primary leaves still alive and grow- 
ing. These plants lived because the fields were com- 
pletely covered with snow from fall until spring. We 
had two of these fields sown four years ago on very 
poor, hard ground that heaves with the frost and they 
are still in excellent condition, cutting more hay this 
season than in any of the former years. This practice, 



FARMING 15 

however, is not to be recommended as the small plants 
could hardly be expected to live during the average 
winter. 

Another advantage in spring sowing is on account 
of the plants growing the root system more rapidly 
than tops. The cool weather promotes root growth and 
the moist ground offers less resistance to their growth 
than they find during the dry weather. Any one who 
has had experience in driving fence posts during the 
summer and also in the spring of the year can readily see 
that the roots of the plants can reach the subsoil with 
less difficulty than during dry weather. If the plants 
are well established when the heat increases and the 
ground commences to dry out the roots of the plants will 
keep on growing and will follow the moisture, even 
though, it may not be found nearer than two to three feet 
from the surface and we have frequently had plants 
make roots four feet long the first year. It does not take a 
philosopher to see that the plant so well established is in 
better condition to go through the winter than one of a 
smaller size that is grown from summer and fall seed- 
ing. 

All things being considered it is believed that the 
best time for sowing alfalfa seed is at the beginning of 
the best growing season and just as early as the ground 
can be harrowed leaving a fine, pulverized surface. In 
tropical and semi-tropical countries the alfalfa plant 
will do best when sown at the beginning of the coolest 
weather provided there is sufficient moisture to grow the 
plant until it is about four weeks old when there should 
be a root system penetrating the soil about four inches 
and the plant hardy enough to force the roots for mois- 
ture during the drier season. Alfalfa may be sown 
and produce successful stands at other seasons of the 
year. There is too much risk, however, in sowing the 



16 FARMING 

seed during the late spring, summer and early fall unless 
there is an opportunity to sow it immediately after an 
excessive rainfall so that there may not be any danger 
of losing the moisture one inch from the surface while 
the plants are growing the first two or three weeks after 
the seed has been sown. 

Sowing the seed too late in the fall to germinate 
until the following spring is preferable to summer sow- 
ing. On hills and in places where the ground washes 
badly, during the winter season, the results will not be 
as satisfactory as early spring sowing, as many of the 
seed are washed away during the winter and spring. We 
have also been successful in growing good fields of 
alfalfa by sowing the seed in March when the ground 
is frozen and porous on account of the action of the 
frost. This also has the disadvantage of seed being 
washed away by the spring rains. 

THE BEST SEASON OF THE YEAR 
FOR SOWING SWEET CLOVER. 

The habits and growth of the sweet clover plant 
resembles the alfalfa so closely that the rules applied to 
sowing alfalfa seed may also be used to good advantage 
in sowing sweet clover seed. 

When the unhulled seed are sown, late fall and very 
early spring seeding has some advantages. The hull on 
sweet clover resists moisture and the seed is naturally 
slower than alfalfa in germinating. If sown in the fall 
or before the frost is out of the ground in the spring, 
nearly all of the seed will germinate the first year. If 
sown late in the spring only a portion of the seed will 
germinate and some of it will remain in the ground until 
the following spring before it will grow. When one 
wishes to raise sweet clover permanently it is an ad- 
vantage to have some of the seed come up the second 



FARMING 17 

year after sowing. It is a biennial plant and to make a 
field permanent, young plants should start to grow two 
years in succession. If it is not cut too closely there will 
be branches nearer the ground that will produce seed 
each year sufficient to reseed the field. 

SELECTING THE FIELD FOR ALFALFA. 

My best fields of alfalfa are on the poorest ground. 
Some of it very hard and stony, in fact, after the ground 
has been plowed and harrowed there are places where 
one could hardly see how it is possible for the alfalfa 
plants to come to the surface on account of the numerous 
stone. These fields were first selected because those who 
formerly owned the farms were not successful in grow- 
ing anything on them. 

Alfalfa is more easily grown, however, on flat land 
than on the hills although some of our best fields are on 
the top of hills five hundred feet above the valley, 
which is not more than half a mile distant. 

It is not best to try growing alfalfa on fields having 
less than three feet of soil that the roots can penetrate. 
If there is stone or hardpan nearer the surface sweet 
clover is preferable to alfalfa. It is also better to use 
on fields where the water is within two feet of the sur- 
face, two or three months at a time. We have had suc- 
cessful fields of alfalfa where the water has covered por- 
tions of them for a week at a time, during the spring 
and fall months. The drier fields, however, will hold 
a good seeding longer and should be selected. 

When the alfalfa is to be made into hay, the fields 
at the greatest distance from the barns can be used 
to the best advantage. When one wishes to cut the 
alfalfa nearly every day in the summer to feed green 
it is an advantage to have the fields close to the barn 
where it can be gathered with but little difficulty. Driv- 



18 



FARMING 



ing a long distance every day to the extreme end of the 
farm to cut alfalfa for feeding is expensive and not the 
best practice, any plan that v^ill save labor will also 
increase the profits. 

ALFALFA ON CLAY SOIL. 

Alfalfa will grow to perfection on clay soil and dur- 
ing a very dry season it is more productive than when 




Some of our fields on the highest hills. The one ill the fore- 
ground is now covered with a luxuriant growth of alfalfa. 

grown on sand or gravel. There has been much diffi- 
culty in keeping it through the winter on land that 
heaves with the frost and before our discoveries in grow- 
ing the bacteria we lost several large fields some of them 
after going through one winter. 

When the bacteria is not present in sufficient 
quantity there is a tendency for the plants to put forth 
all of their energy in growing one long straight root 
to find the nourishment it requires. When there is an 
abundance of rapidly multiplying bacteria near the sur- 



FARMING 19 

face there will be many branch roots running out from 
the surface soil in horizontal lines. With the most 
favorable conditions these branch roots are often nearly 
as large as the main tap root, and with an abundance of 
these branch roots there is never any difficulty in winter- 
ing alfalfa successfully on the hard clay soil that heaves 
with the frost. This is because of the size and strength 
of the branch roots. When the ground heaves the plant 
and all of the roots are lifted and when the frost is 
drawn out in the spring and the ground settles the 
stronger branch roots carry the plant back in its former 
position. When grown with insufficient inoculation the 
branch roots are not much larger than a thread, and 
when these plants are lifted with the frost there is noth- 
ing to draw them back in position and when left stand- 
ing several inches above the surface with all of the finer 
branch roots stripped from the main root, there is noth- 
ing left to start the plants into growth. The hard frost 
and cold winds during the early spring take tjie mois- 
ture and vitality from the plant and there is nothing i 
left to grow. 

In adjoining fields, where one was prepared with the 
bacteria culture and the other with common inoculated 
soil, all of the plants were winter killed in one field on a 
straight line and within a foot of plants that were not 
injured in the least where the bacteria culture had been 
used. 

In addition to the benefit derived from using the 
culture on clay soil to prevent the plants from being win- 
ter killed it also adds to the productiveness and 
where it has been liberally applied the yield has been 
fully twice the amount of that which was produced on 
fields that had received only the inoculation. 



20 



FARMING 



SELECTING THE FIELD FOR SWEET CLOVER. 

Sweet clover can be grown successfully and profitably 
on steep hills and stony places that could not be plowed, 
also in many waste places that could not be used for any 
other purpose. I would never use it, however, on ground 
where alfalfa can be grown successfully unless to fit 
fields that are too hard and barren to raise alfalfa with- 
out too much expense in preparation. 



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Sweet clover five feet high groM^n on our poorest land with 
a small application of alfalfa bacteria culture. 



Where sweet clover is once grown, even on steep, 
side hills and stone piles alfalfa can afterwards be grown 
without even plowing the ground. It is only necessary to 
harrow the seed in at the most desirable season of the 
year and the alfalfa will grow quickly because of the 
deposit of humus and bacteria from the sweet clover 
plant. Alfalfa is better where it can be grown as it has 
two per cent, more protein and will often stay in the 
ground without reseeding five to ten years and where 



FARMING 21 

the conditions are most favorable it has been grown 
fifty years on a field without reseeding. 

LIME NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY. 

Both alfalfa and sweet clover can be successfully 
grown on nearly all kinds of soil without the application 
of lime, although in a great many fields lime is a help in 
starting the plant the first season. After a plant is well 
established it sweetens the soil and renders it in the 
best possible condition for growing other farm crops. 

A test can easily be made in the corner of each field 
where alfalfa is to be grown. These tests should be 
made a year in advance of the time of sowing the seed. 
A little place, a few feet square along the fence or in 
a corner of the field can be fitted by hand with a spad- 
ing fork and rake. Half of the trial ground should be 
carefully limed, inoculated and seeded, the other half 
inoculated and seeded without lime. It is best to stake 
the test plots so that there will not be any mistake as to 
the final results. By making these field tests you will 
often discover that alfalfa and sweet clover make excel- 
lent growth on soil that has every indication of being 
sour. 

A great many carloads of lime have been used on 
our farm and nearly all kinds that are being manufac- 
tured including burned, hydrated and raw ground rock. 
We are still using some of the ground rock on some of 
our fields and consider it more valuable than any other 
kind of lime. It is also used in our stables and helps to 
keep them in much better condition because it holds 
down small particles of dust and dirt that circulate 
in the air. After the stables have been cleaned a liberal 
quantity of lime is placed on the floor and swept into 
every crack and crevice so that everything is completely 
covered. 



22 



FARMING 



TESTING SOIL. 

It is a good plan to take soil from several fields and 
fill small flower pots with it. Five or six small pots of 
soil from each field can be used to advantage in mak- 
ing tests each one being numbered or marked in a way 
to tell the field from which the soil was taken and also 
to distinguish one test from another. Each one of the 
samples should be given a little different treatment, one 
of them can be used just as the soil is taken from the 
ground without anything being added, another with a 




This illustration shows four three-inch jars where a test was made, using 

soil from a field too poor and hard to grow alfalfa successfully without 

special treatment. No. 5 was filled with soil just as taken from the 

field. No. 6 had an application of inoculated soil. No. 7 had 

the inoculated soil and raw ground lime rock, and No. 8 had 

the alfalfa bacteria culture. The seeds were all planted 

the same day. The illustration plainly shows 

the advantage of using the bacteria culture. 

little inoculated dirt and others with lime, humus and 
different kinds of fertilizer that is produced on the farm 
and available for use. When three inch pots are used 
a half teaspoon of the different things is sufficient to 
make a good test. After the material and soil is 
thoroughly mixed plant a half dozen seed in each of the 



FARMING 23 

samples just a little below the surface, keep the soil 
moistened but not too wet. In this way one can easily 
tell the fields best adapted to alfalfa and those where it 
can be grown with the least difficulty. It will also show 
conclusively how to treat the soil to get the quickest and 
best results. As the plan referred to for the application 
of bacteria culture will bring good results on practically 
all kinds of soil it is often possible to get even better re- 
sults by making thorough tests as above described. It 
is surprising to see how quickly the plants in certain 
pots will grow and develop in advance of others. One 
can see at a glance how certain elements, or combina- 
tion of them, improves the natural conditions for grow- 
ing alfalfa. There are many, no doubt, who will think 
this work is trifling and not of sufficient importance to 
warrant the time and labor required. In my experience 
it is these little things we do that give us a greater 
knowledge of our work and better fits us to make the 
business we undertake a success. 

INOCULATING BACTERIA. 

It is believed that there is much yet to be learned 
about the growth and development of bacteria that is 
essential in growing many kinds of farm crops. Be- 
cause of this lack of knowledge of its life, gro\\i;h and 
development many people have failed in growing alfalfa. 
Bacteria like farm crops requires special treatment to 
develop perfectly. In addition to having the soil moist 
and cold, it is alw^ays an advantage to have quantities 
of humus to retain the moisture as the ground becomes 
dry. There is nothing better for furnishing ideal con- 
ditions for hard ground than some forms of peat muck 
after having been exposed to the air for at least a year 
before using. It has been generally known that to grow 
alfalfa successfullv there must be the bacteria and it has 



24 FARMING 

been taken for granted that if the ground has once been 
inoculated with the bacteria in some form, other condi- 
tions being favorable for the seed the alfalfa will grow. 

Repeated experiments have plainly shown that to 
get the best results in growing alfalfa the conditions 
first must be made favorable for the growth and develop- 
ment of the bacteria. This, no doubt, is the reason why so 
many growers recommend the selection of the fields in 
the best condition. When a field i^ in condition for 
growing a good farm crop, it is also in condition to en- 
courage the growth and development of the bacteria. 
To build up the poorest soil it is only necessary to make 
the conditions favorable for the growth of the bacteria 
and the alfalfa will be a success. 

On barren land and soil without any humus con- 
tent, deficient in nitrogen the bacteria will not develop 
and increase neither will it live in this kind of soil long 
enough to become attached to the alfalfa plant to fur- 
nish it the required nourishment. This, no doubt, is the 
reason for failures in securing proper inoculation by 
using the liquid cultures. When these are used on poor 
soil there is nothing to support the life or encourage the 
growth until the alfalfa plant is started. 

By using inoculated soil from fields rich in humus, 
the bacteria is not only tranf erred to the new field where 
alfalfa is to be grown but it also carries with it some of 
the necessary elements for the propogation and growth 
of the bacteria. To get the best results in growing alfalfa 
on barren fields it is necessary to furnish the bacteria in 
very large quantities and also to provide the necessary 
elements to encourage its growth until the alfalfa is well 
established. 

When alfalfa, sweet clover and other nitrogen 
gathering plants fail to grow as they should it is because 
of poor or insufficient inoculation. The germs are so 



FARMING 25 

easily destroyed that it is almost impossible to distribute 
them in the soil, during the summer months without their 
being killed. They live, grow and develop more rapidly 
in cool, moist ground than when it is too dry and warm. 
The bacteria derive much sustenance from humus in 
the soil and are considered dormant below 42 degrees 
F., but when ample moisture and humus are available 
their activity is stimulated in proportion to the increase 
of air temperature until it reaches about 70 degrees. 

GROWING THE BACTERIA FOR INOCULATION. 

My plan of growing the culture for inoculating the 
soil is probably of the greatest importance. Liquid cul- 
ture for inoculation and also soil taken from an alfalfa 
field will often produce good stands of alfalfa on land 
filled with humus and other fertilizing elements when 
seeded after the land is in the highest state of cultiva- 
tion. Soil of this kind can be used to better advantage, 
however, for other purposes. 

To get the greatest value from growing alfalfa the 
fields where the soil is poorest, (not good enough for 
growing other farm crops) should be selected and to 
make a success of growing alfalfa on the poorer land 
there are many advantages in growing the bacteria in 
advance of the time when the field is to be seeded. 

After repeated experiments I have discovered a 
plan for growing the bacteria in a way to produce as 
much material in a square foot of ground for inoculat- 
ing a field as will be found in a hundred square feet of 
soil taken from an alfalfa field. In addition to this, the 
bacteria is in a thrifty condition, multiplying rapidly and 
carries with it the necessary elements to favor its 
growth until the alfalfa has been thoroughly established, 
even though, there may not be anything in the soil to 
support its life. By this process I have grown the finest 



26 FARMING 

fields of alfalfa on land practically barren too poor in 
fact for weeds to grow more than a few inches high and 
these fields are now producing from $60.00 to $100.00 
worth of alfalfa hay per acre. This bacteria can be 
grown on your own farm by following the instructions 
hereinafter contained. 

On account of our large farms and extensive experi- 
ments we have constructed special machinery to make 
the material for growing alfalfa bacteria, and find that 
by using the machinery the cost of making it ready 
to use is only about one-quarter the cost of making it 
by hand as we did in former years while the experi- 
ments were being made. 

By using the machinery referred to, the material 
is made finer, runs through the fertilizer attachment to a 
grain drill with less difficulty and gives a better stand of 
alfalfa. One who owns an ordinary size farm would not 
require the special machinery if there is plenty of time 
during the winter months to prepare all the necessary 
material by hand. 

If there is a shed, or building, available where the 
material can be kept dry it can be used to good ad- 
vantage. If one has a good peat, muck bed or can get a 
load from a nearby neighbor it will pay to use it. In 
addition to this, use any stable manure that is available 
and the fertilizer from a hen house can be used to better 
advantage than on any other crop. It contains large 
quantities of nitrogen and is better to start the growth of 
alfalfa than any other fertilizer. The amount of each 
of the ingredients used is not of the greatest importance 
although we have found that about equal quantities of 
all the things mentioned gives us the best results. 

Make a pile consisting of nearly everything avail- 
able in this line so there will be about five or six hun- 
dred pounds for every acre of alfalfa seed you wish to 



FARMING 27 

sow. A few hundred pounds of raw ground lime rock 
mixed with the material can be used to good advantage 
especially in helping to prepare the mixture so that it 
can be easily applied with the drill. This mixture should 
be turned every week or two until it has been turned 
ten or a dozen times. When the weather is warm it 
may be necessary to turn it more often to prevent ex- 
cessive heating, as this would cause it to lose elements 
that are of the greatest value. When the pile is 
thoroughly mixed and decomposed, it should be run 
through a screen to take out all the lumps that would 
not go through the drill. The preparation of this 
material is the most important work in connection with 
growing alfalfa and one can well afford to watch the 
process carefully to see that it does not overheat. After 
this has been done thoroughly, prepare and mix it with 
an equal part of soil taken from an alfalfa or sweet 
clover field. It is important to get the dirt from a por- 
tion of the field where the alfalfa is thick and makes a 
rank growth. The soil should be run through a screen 
to make it fine and ready to use. 

Spread all of this material out-of-doors on the 
ground so that it will be eight to ten inches deep. If 
there are some old boards handy, it is an advantage to 
make a box about the right size to hold the material, or 
even some stakes in the ground with some boards set 
against them to prevent the mixture from spreading. If 
there are stones, or any coarse material, on the ground 
it should be cleaned off thoroughly or the bottom cov- 
ered with old boards so that when the material is taken 
out, it will be in the best condition for use. It should 
be packed until it is quite solid. Then rake the surface 
over with a garden rake until there is about an inch 
of the loose mixture on top. Sow alfalfa seed quite 
thick and rake it in. The seeding can be done any time 
until within about two months of the time when the 



28 FARMING 

ground is likely to freeze. The alfalfa will grow very- 
fast in this mixture and within two months of the time 
of sowing the seed, the bed will be completely filled 
with alfalfa roots extending to the bottom. This will 
start the rapid development of bacteria and within a 
very short time it will be completely filled and ready to 
use. This not only furnishes the necessary ele- 
ments for growing the bacteria but it also pro- 
vides nourishment for the plant until it can derive bene- 
fit from the nitrogen gathered by the action of the bac- 
teria. When applied to the poorest land it will pro- 
duce a strong, healthy growth of alfalfa that will make 
a permanent stand. 

While it is possible to get a good stand of alfalfa 
in some of the best fields by only using the inoculating 
soil from an alfalfa field it certainly pays to use the 
material for growing the bacteria on the very best land 
as the increase in the amount of alfalfa produced will 
more than pay for the additional labor and expense. 

SELECTING AND PURCHASING SEED. 

There has been quite a lot written of late in regard 
to alfalfa seed and many of the growers claim that some 
varieties of seed are more hardy than others. In my 
own experience I have never found any difference. By 
following the advice and instructions in this book any 
variety of alfalfa used will produce good, hardy plants 
that will live through the winter and spring where the 
temperature often drops many degrees below zero. 

It is important to have well developed, perfect 
seed, every one resembling a bean in its formation, 
which is necessary to produce thrifty plants. In most 
alfalfa seed there are many that have not properly 
developed and while they will often germinate the plant 
is not as strong and will not make a satisfactory growth. 
The next in importance is in being particular that there 



FARMING 29 

is not any weed seed mixed with it. Before purchasing 
the seed it is an excellent plan to get a sample of the 
seed, count out one hundred of them and plant in a little 
soil. Count the plants and note their size and shape and 
you will then be able to judge accurately as to the ger- 
minating qualities of the seed offered for sale. 

Farmers who expect to plant hundreds of acres will 
get better results by raising their own seed. While the 
seed can be produced on any field of alfalfa the second 
cutting generally being considered best, it is a better 
plan to sow the seed in drills, about two feet apart, 
using only about two quarts of seed to the acre, cultivat- 
ing the rows thoroughly to keep a perfect mulch and 
prevent the growth of weeds. This method will grow 
more perfect seed and when considering the cost of 
afalfa seed it will pay as well as any other farm crop. 

SWEET CLOVER SEED. 

For late fall and early spring sowing the unhulled 
seed are the most desirable and for late spring and sum- 
mer sowing I would recommend the hulled seed as they 
germinate more quickly and will make a better growth 
the first season. 

There are three kinds of sweet clover seed, the 
Yellow Annual, which I do not consider of any particular 
value, the Yellow Biennial, which is valuable although 
not equal to the White Biennial as this has large leaves, 
stronger plants and produces a great many more 
pounds of protein food to the acre. 

The seed can be tested in the same way as the 
alfalfa seed is tested. It is easily grown and every 
farmer should raise their own seed. It would, no doubt, 
be an advantage to grow this seed in drills, although it 
would hardly pay as it is very productive and one plant 
will produce many thousand seed. 



30 FARMING 

In harvesting the seed it is necessary that the plants 
be cut before the seed is fully matured. One must 
watch the seed crop carefully, and as soon as the lower 
racemes or spike-like branches of flowers are dry and 
mature it is best to commence harvesting. 

The plants should be cut when the dew is on or just 
after a rain and before they have entirely dried out, as 
the ripe seeds are easily shaken from the stem. 

The threshing can be accomplished by hand or with 
an ordinary threshing machine, although to hull the 
seed it is necessary to have a special machine for the 
purpose. We prefer the unhulled seed. 

PREPARING THE LAND. 

Only by thorough cultivation can one expect satis- 
factory results in growing alfalfa. A good quality of 
soil, however, does not require as much fitting as a 
poorer soil, except the land that is hard and packs like 
clay soil. The poorest hard land should always be 
plowed a season in advance of the time for sowing the 
seed. If a field where the sod is hard and stiff is selected 
it is important to thoroughly work the soil until the sod 
is entirely destroyed before seeding to alfalfa. 

The poorest fields where there is but little growth 
with the possible exception of some very small weeds, 
should be plowed during the summer or fall and allowed 
to stand through the winter. Then harrow and roll 
until there is a very fine seed bed on the surface and 
the under portion packed solid. When the ground is 
not thoroughly packed the alfalfa plants will some- 
times grow until the roots reach the bottom of the soil 
that was turned over. Unless this soil is nearly as firm 
as the subsoil there is difficulty in the root penetrating 
to a greater depth and the plant often turns yellow and 
dies. 



FARMING 31 

Land that has been used for growing potatoes and 
kept comparatively free from weeds is in the very best 
condition to use for an alfalfa field the following year. 
It will not require plowing, and thorough harrowing 
discing and rolling at the time of sowing the seed in the 
early spring will fit it perfectly for alfalfa. Fields that 
have been used for growing corn and other cultivated 
crops and also those used for grain should always be re- 
plowed. It is important, however, to plow the land at 
least three months before the time for sowing the seed 
unless one has a very heavy roller and is willing to do 
about twice as much work as would be necessary to fit 
the fields that have been plowed in advance. 

The preparation of the land and the material for 
inoculation are the two most important factors for suc- 
cess and when one is not sure that the land has been 
properly fitted it will always pay to do a little more 
work. 

APPLYING THE BACTERIA AND MATERIAL TO 
GROW IT AND SOWING ALFALFA SEED. 

One of the most important discoveries I have made 
is in the way of applying the inoculation and sowing the 
seed. By careful observation I have learned that on the 
very poorest soil alfalfa plants must receive help from 
some source almost immediately after the seed has 
sprouted. This is more especially so on worn out land 
where there is not any humus or nitrogen. 

Experiments were made mixing the seed with the 
inoculation and sowing altogether through the fertilizer 
attachment of a grain drill and, in addition to this, about 
half of the seed was sown broadcast through the same 
machine and at the same time. After the plants were 
a few inches high it was not difficult to see the rows as 
the plants grown from the seed mixed with the bacteria 



32 FARMING 

were twice as large as the plants between the drill 
marks, as these could not derive any benefit from the 
inoculation until the roots were long enough to reach it. 

On good land, however, the difference would not be 
as noticeable during the earlier stages of the growth of 
the alfalfa although it could easily be seen the second 
year. 

On some of our land that bakes and crusts over, we 
have experienced difficulty at times because of the 
drill placing the seed and inoculation deep in the ground 
even after having set the drill to run as shallow as 
possible. We have had some trouble where a liberal 
amount of lime was used in the mixture as this would 
form a kind of a mortar and after becoming thoroughly 
wet would harden down so that the alfalfa plants could 
not get to the surface. A few fields have been lost in 
this way. The deep seeding is preferable especially on 
poor land, if one was sure that there would not be any 
rain until after the plants had commenced to grow. 
There would not be any difficulty on this question only 
on hard land that has a tendency to pack. 

The seed could be sown in sand and gravel with- 
out the least danger of the plants being unable to break 
through to the surface, and it is not nearly so difficult to 
get a good stand of alfalfa on this kind of land as on the 
hard, clay soil, although it does equally as well when 
once established on the heavier land. 

We have tried broadcasting the inoculation and 
even though it has been followed immediately with a 
harrow, the action of the sun on the drier surface of the 
cultivated soil did not furnish the desirable conditions 
that are had when the bacteria is placed under the sur- 
face and covered up by the drill. When there will be 
plenty of time to do the work on a field all in one day 
it is better to go over it twice, drilling half the material 



FARMING 



33 



at first and crossing it with the other half. When drill- 
ing the land over twice in this way, broadcasting is not 
necessary. This makes a more even stand covering the 
ground better which prevents the growth of weeds. 

Because of not knowing the life and habits of the 
alfalfa plant when I first commenced farming, several 
hundred bushels of alfalfa seed have been lost be- 
fore discovering the reason for losing it, I did not 
think it possible that the sun would kill the young plants 




Spring wheat used as a nurse crop with alfalfa. One bushel 

of seed was sown to the acre and a yield of 25 bushels was 

harvested. The dark line shows the growth of alfalfa 

nearly half as tall as the wheat. 



as soon as they commenced to grow. After conducting 
the most careful experiments it was not difficult to see 
that all of the alfalfa seed had been lost because of sow- 
ing it near the surface and at a time of year when both 
the soil and the sun were extremely warm. After making 
these discoveries and sowing the seed mixed with the 
inoculated soil we have never had a loss on account of 



34 FARMING 

burning the young plants, even though some of the fields 
were sown during the warmest part of the year. 

If it is necessary to sow both inoculation and seed 
by hand on some small farms, the work should be done 
very early in the spring. If for any reason one desires 
to start a field later, the only safe way would be to do 
the work when the ground is thoroughly saturated with 
water and after the sun is down at night, or possibly 
during a cloudy day so that there would not be any dan- 
ger of losing the bacteria on account of its being ex- 
posed to the direct rays of the sun. After sowing it 
■should be thoroughly harrowed in. If there is a ten- 
dency for the soil to pack it is better not to roll the land. 
Oh light sand or gravel it is often advisable to roll the 
field after drilling and also after broadcasting and har- 
rowing it in. On hard, stony land it is better not to roll 
until early the following spring when the ground is very 
soft that the stones may be pressed into the soil to leave 
the field in the best condition for mowing. 

When taking into consideration the fact that the 
^alfalfa field is cut from fifteen to fifty times before re- 
seeding, one can readily see the importance of being 
jthorough in the work, not only to make a perfect stand 
jof alfalfa but also to prepare the field for easy harvest- 
ing. 

When sowing alfalfa for the purpose of raising the 
seed a grain drill with seeder attachment can be used 
by closing some of the openings. Most drills can be 
arranged to sow three rows at a time, twenty-four to 
twenty-eight inches apart. This will permit of thorough 
cultivation and the alfalfa will grow twice as fast as 
when sown broadcast and not cultivated. Two quarts 
of seed to the acre is ample for fitting a field to raise 
seed. 

On land rich enough to grow a good crop of corn and 
potatoes eight quarts of good alfalfa seed will make 



FARMING 35 

plants enough for a perfect stand. On very poor land 
it is better to use half a bushel of seed to the acre. If 
the seed all germinate the plants will be very thick. The 
stronger ones will crowd out and smother the weaker 
ones leaving only those that are thrifty and that will 
withstand the necessary hardships that they may be sub- 
jected to. 

When poor ground that is deficient in humus is 
completely covered with plants it helps to conserve the 
moisture which would be lost on a thinly covered field by 
evaporation. Porous soil filled with humus retains mois- 
ture like a sponge and the plants will grow to perfec- 
tion even though the ground may not be entirely cov- 
ered with them. 

SOWING SWEET CLOVER SEED. 

The advice given for sowing alfalfa seed can also 
be used for sweet clover. When the seed are to be sown 
on stone piles, brush lots and land that could not be 
cultivated the seed should be sown early in the spring 
when the ground is honeycombed by the action of the 
frost and the inoculated soil sown with it. 

CARE OF ALFALFA AND SWEET CLOVER PLANTS 

When the plants are a good, healthy green color and 
the weeds are not larger than the plants, there is noth- 
ing to do but to just let them grow. During a dry time 
and on land deficient in humus and nitrogen there will 
be a tendency for the leaves to turn yellow. This is an 
indication that the roots are not taking in enough 
nourishment to support the top and the plants should 
be cut at once. This cutting also encourages root growth 
and when the new sprouts commence to grow they will 
have a rich, dark green color. If not a healthy color 
they should receive an application of about 100 pounds 
of nitrate of soda to the acre. During times of excessive 



36 FARMING 

rainfall for two or three weeks, the leaves will often 
have the appearance of being blighted. They are cov- 
ered with little dark colored spots and it is seldom 
noticed until the plants are six inches to a foot high and 
it generally shows on soil that is very dense and because 
it is covered with water so much of the time that the 
oxygen from the air is prevented from getting into the 
soil when certain conditions of heat will start leaf blight. 
The only remedy is to cut it and the new growth will 
soon appear in perfect condition. 

HARVESTING THE ALFALFA. 

The alfalfa can be cut without injury to the plants 
any time after it is four to six inches tall. To get the 
most valuable food from a field of alfalfa it should be 
mowed just before the blossom buds begin to form. After 
the buds are well established the lower leaves of the 
plants will begin to drop off and as there is more nutri- 
ment in the leaves than in the stems it is important to 
save them all. Either green alfalfa or hay cut before 
budding will produce 20 per cent, more milk than the 
alfalfa that is allowed to bud and blossom. This has 
been proved many times in our own dairy. 

When harvested at a time to make the best hay 
it is also more difficult to cure. We have harvested 
several hundred tons this year that is now in the barns 
in good condition and it rained nearly every day while 
doing the work. It is not as easily injured as the clovers 
and can be successfully cured in very stormy weather. 
We generally do our mowing one day, rake the alfalfa 
and cock it the second day and when the weather is good 
it may not be disturbed for two days when it will be 
ready to draw into the barn. This is four days from the 
time of cutting. If the weather is stormy the second 
day after cutting it is not raked until the following day. 
Should it rain hard enough to wet the cocks through 



FARMING 



37 



they are thrown open, rain or shine, and it is only 
necessary then to have a few hours without rain before 
you can commence drawing it in. If left in the cocks 
after a hard rain the hay will mould quickly. We have 
harvested several fields this year when we could only 
draw in two or three loads during the day and some 
days not any. 

Many people recommend canvas tops to keep the 
cocks dry. It would be impossible for us to use them 
on account of the additional labor and expense and there 




The third cutting of alfalfa thirty days after harvesting the 

second crop. This field has yielded three crops of alfalfa 

per year for five years. 



is also a greater tendency for the alfalfa to mould be- 
cause of the heating process and the retention of the 
heat. After drawing to the barn there is a tendency to 
keep on heating which is not detrimental to the quality. 
By cutting the alfalfa when it is very young the stems 
will be finer and it will pack in the barn until the lower 
portion will become nearly as solid as baled hay. A 



38 FARMING 

barn will hold two or three times more alfalfa cut before 
it commences to bud than it will if not cut until after the 
blossoms have formed and, I think, two pounds of the 
former is worth as much as three pounds of the alfalfa 
that is not cut until after it is allowed to blossom. By 
cutting when the plants are young we can harvest four 
crops every season here in New York State where only 
three are harvested when the alfalfa is allowed to 
mature. 

In making alfalfa hay for poultry it is better to 
cut it when it is only twelve to fifteen inches high. The 
leaves and stems are more tender and contain a larger 
per cent, of protein than we get from the older plants. 
In curing the afalfa for poultry it is drawn in soon after 
cutting and spread about a foot thick on the floor in a 
room where it is possible to furnish ventilation by open- 
ing the windows. It is only necessary to turn this once 
or twice when it is gradually piled thicker to prevent 
bleaching. After curing it is nearly as green as at the 
time of cutting, 

HARVESTING SWEET CLOVER. 

Sweet clover can be harvested the same as we har- 
vest alfalfa. It is more important, however, to do the 
mowing while the plants are very young as the sweet 
clover stems are larger and if allowed to grow full size 
have a tendency to become woody and undesirable for 
stock food. If cut when the plants are from eighteen 
inches to two feet high, the quality of the hay is nearly 
equal to alfalfa. 

Care should be taken to cut the stubble of the pre- 
ceding hay crops about six inches high so that there will 
be sufficient stems remaining to resume growth, as this 
plant, unlike alfalfa does not form new crown shoots. 



FARMING 



39 



f 









Sweet clover on some of our poorest land. It is a little more 

than half grown and just the right size to cut for hay. 

One cutting of this would yield at least three 

tons to the acre. 

PASTURING ALFALFA FIELDS FOR 
MILK PRODUCTION. 

If dairymen knew the value of alfalfa pasture 
for milk production they would all have fields enough 
to keep the cows supplied from spring until fall. To get 
the largest milk flow, the alfalfa should not be more than 
two-thirds to three-quarters grown. At this age it will 
produce a great deal more milk than when it is allowed 
to grow to maturity before turning the cows in. To pro- 
vide an abundant continuous milk flow one should have 
as many acres as there are cows. Four fields of five acres 
each would keep twenty cows supplied continuously 
throughout the summer and with favorable weather there 
would be a surplus to harvest for hay. During the best 
growing season it will reach a height of eighteen to 
twenty inches in three weeks and I have had fields where 
the alfalfa was twenty-eight to thirty inches high and be- 



40 FARMING 

ginning to blossom thirty days after the field crop had 
been cut over for hay. 

We have cut the greater amount of alfalfa for hay and 
it is only recently that there has been a surplus for pas- 
turing. Two or three different times during the present 
summer we turned twenty-four of our cows from good 
mixed pasture into an alfalfa field and in every case they 
increased fifty to sixty-five quarts of milk a day. This, of 
course, is v/ithout any grain. Had we made an effort, as 
in former years, to increase the yield of milk by feeding 
grain it would have been impossible to have made an in- 
crease of more than twenty quarts per day. After the 
cows begin to drop on their milk flow we turn them into 
another field and run the mowing machine over the field 
they have just been taken from so that within two or 
three weeks it will be ready to turn the cattle into again. 
The odds and ends that are left after pasturing can be 
cured for hay and are of more value for the production of 
milk than timothy and clover mixed. To build up poor 
land quickly it should be left on the ground but not thick 
enough to smother the alfalfa plants and prevent the 
new growth. 

In selecting fields for pasturing, it is important to 
choose fields where the cows can have access to both 
shade and water. If neither are available, when you have 
alfalfa, it is better to pasture the cows at night and dur- 
ing the day keep them where they can have shade and 
water. When flies are troublesome cows will give more 
milk and keep in better condition if they are allowed to 
stay in the barn during the day time and supplied with 
green cut alfalfa. After milking at night turn them into 
an alfalfa field for pasturing until the following morning. 
Cows kept in this way will produce twice as much milk as 
when pastured on mixed grass and are being compelled 
to fight flies all through the summer months. Cows will 



FARMING 



41 



increase their flow of milk on alfalfa pasture, even 
though, it has been impossible to get an increase by other 
systems of feeding. 

Pasturing Alfalfa Fields for Beef Cattle, Swine and 

Poultry 

For the protection of the alfalfa fields and to promote 
a more rapid growth of the stock it is best to pasture them 
but a few weeks at a time the same as referred to for the 
production of milk. 




Some of the Guernseys in a field of mixed pasture. 

Judging from my own experience it is believed that 
alfalfa pasture will make more beef and better beef than 
any other system of feeding and the cattle that have an 
abundant supply can be fitted for market in prime con- 
dition without grain or any other feed when the alfalfa 
is pastured at a time when the food elements are the 
most available. There is no better way to increase the 
size of stock than on alfalfa as soon as they are old 



42 FARMING 

enough to eat it. We have registered Guernsey heifers 
that were kept on the alfalfa diet from the time they 
were four weeks old that have matured into cows as 
large as Holsteins. 

Growing pigs that have been fed on milk and grain 
will rapidly increase when turned into an alfalfa field. 
It is, in fact, surprising to see how rapidly they grow and 
how quickly they improve in physical condition. We pur- 
chased one lot of nine shoats last spring without seeing 
them and when they were delivered they were not any 
larger than a pig should be when two months old. It was 
plainly evident that they had been stunted by improper 
feeding or lack of food. We, at first, thought they were 
not worth bothering with but afterwards decided to run 
them in an alfalfa field with some other hogs and it was 
not long before they commenced to grow and after a 
month in the field they certainly look like another lot of 
shoats. 

The field we used for pasturing the hogs was not a 
very good stand as it was one that had been seeded with 
liquid inoculation and we were not anxious about retain- 
ing the field in alfalfa without having a better stand, and 
for that reason left the hogs in continuously. There were 
three registered bulls and fifteen hogs in the field con- 
taining a little more than an acre and it has been neces- 
sary to mow the field once as the hogs and cattle did not 
eat the alfalfa as fast as it grew. The present indications 
are that this small field will give us a greater income with 
less labor than any other field on the farm. We have 
some very choice registered Yorkshire hogs and expect 
to keep several hundred next year. 

While the hog and cattle business does not furnish 
as steady an income as one gets from a dairy it is believed 
that the net returns in a year will be even greater and 
with very much less work. One man can successfully 



FARMING 43 

operate quite a large farm devoted to beef cattle and hog 
raising on alfalfa and it will be difficult to find a business 
that will yield an equal income when taking into con- 
sideration the amount of capital and labor it would be 
necessary to invest. 

Poultry, geese, turkeys and ducks can also be kept 
largely on alfalfa pasture. When given an opportunity 
to range on alfalfa they will grow faster, lay more eggs 
and the young fowls will be stronger than when fed 
largely on grain. Half of the field that is used for pas- 
ture should be cut every two weeks. This promotes new 
growth and keeps them constantly supplied with the very 
best quality of food. 

CUTTING ALFALFA TO FEED GREEN. 

When there are not enough fields to use for pastur- 
ing, the alfalfa can be cut and fed green and in this way 
nearly twice as many head can be kept on an acre as 
when it is pastured. The results, however, are not nearly 
as satisfactory. Cows will increase 10 per cent, in milk 
production when taken from common pasture and fed all 
the green cut alfalfa they will eat, and by turning them 
into the same field where the alfalfa is taken from will ; 
increase fully 10 per cent. more. This, no doubt, is be- 
cause when feeding the alfalfa in the stables, after it has 
been cut, they eat everything, leaves, stems and all. 
When pasturing in a field they eat only the leaves and 
the tender portion of the stem, giving them a larger per- 
centage of milk producing food than they get when eat- 
ing stem.s and all. We have tried several times chang- 
ing them from green cut alfalfa to mixed grains and 
clover and they always drop about 20 per cent, in milk 
production. We have also tried green cut barley, wheat 
and oats with the clover which failed to produce as much 
milk as the cows gave when they had nothing but alfalfa 
that had been cut before maturing. 



41 



i Ai.n: 



FEEDING ALFALFA I2AY. 

There is, of course, as much difference in the quality 
of alfalfa hay because of the time when it is cut, as there 
is between feeding the green alfalfa while it is tender or 
feeding it when it is grown to maturity. Alfalfa hay fed 
to cows, horses and hogs, in addition to a few small pota- 
toes, carrots or mangels will keep the stock in better con- 
dition than when fed on mixed hay, grain and ensilage. 




Note the condition of the four year old registered Guernsey 

in the foreground. She was raised and has been kept almost 

entirely on alfalfa and at the time the photograph 

was taken she had been without grain for 

eighteen months. 

For several years we used about eighty acres of our 
best land for growing ensilage corn. The acreage is 
being decreased each season as our supply of alfalfa in- 
creases and we are using it with the small potatoes and 
carrots in place of ensilage. By using our best ground 
for potatoes we can make a good profit from the sale of 
the large ones and the small ones are left for feeding the 



FARMING 45 

stock. After making the most careful experiments in 
feeding corn ensilage and grain to our dairy we found 
that it was not possible to make a profit even though the 
milk was being sold at retail. The farmers who sell milk 
at wholesale, using their best land for growing corn en- 
silage and buying large quantities of grain for feeding 
their cows, will find it a difficult task to increase their 
bank account on this system of farming, especially where 
it is necessary to employ all of the labor in handling the 
farm work. The best quality of alfalfa hay for winter 
feeding and plenty of alfalfa pasture for summer, will 
soon make any dairyman financially independent." 

GROWING ALFALFA WITH NITRATE OF SODA. 

Alfalfa can be grown on the poorest soil, even in 
pure, white sand by thorough inoculation and by supply- 
ing the young plants with nitrate of soda. This, how- 
ever, is a more expensive process than to make the 
material for the production and growth of the bacteria. 

When growing alfalfa with nitrate of soda about one 
hundred pounds should be used with the inoculated soil 
when sowing the seed. On the very poorest soil it will re- 
quire an application of about one hundred pounds to the 
acre each week for about four weeks. This is best ap- 
plied by dissolving in water and sprinkling it on. The 
machines for spraying potatoes can be used to good ad- 
vantage or it can be sown broadcast without being dis- 
solved. This nitrate supplies the nitrogen for the growth 
of bacteria and to help the young alfalfa plants until 
they are thoroughly established and have suflficient 
strength to draw their nitrogen from the air. 

When one is extremely anxious to force a field of 
alfalfa or when a field is beginning to turn yellow be- 
cause of insufficient food, a light application of nitrate 
of soda is a great benefit. We have never used it, how- 
ever, in a large way because we can get just as good 



46 FARMING 

results at a lower cost by using a liberal quantity of the 
material referred to that is used for growing the bac- 
teria. 

FARMING WITH AND WITHOUT ALFALFA. 

After farming many years both with and without 
alfalfa I am in a position to know the advantages one 
has in growing it. While I am greatly interested in see- 
ing everything grow and enjoy farm life especially, I 
would not care to continue the work without alfalfa. It 
would be extremely difficult to describe all the advan- 
tages of farming with alfalfa and it seems necessary that 
one should try both ways before fully understanding its 
value. In my experience the difference is as great as the 
difference between profit and loss. 

I have been successful in improving the soil by the 
old methods but the process was so slow that it would re- 
quire more than one's lifetime to see all the fields pro- 
ductive on a poor farm. After paying all expenses the 
only profits derived from the work were used in an at- 
tempt to build up the quality of the soil. This refers to 
farms that have been practically exhausted before they 
were purchased. 

We had other farms, however, that gave us a fair 
profit by the old method of farming although the net in- 
come was not sufficient to make the work interesting. It 
is believed that one-fourth of the land that has been 
used for farming without alfalfa can be made to produce 
a larger income by growing it either for the dairy, beef 
cattle, swine, poultry or all of them combined. In speak- 
ing of farming with alfalfa it is referred to as the princi- 
pal crop and soil improver. 

Of course, nearly everyone knows that diversified 
farming has many advantages over specialty work and 
while the foundation of the farm and farm profits are 



FARMING 47 

built upon alfalfa, the larger portion of the income is de- 
rived from other sources as the land is better fitted for 
growing potatoes, beans and other crops that will sell to 
the best advantage in local markets ; and the income per 
acre for such crops will often furnish greater profits than 
are had from either the dairy or stock raising alone, al- 
though the risk is greater. The weather conditions have 
so much to do with cultivated crops that when planting 
the seed one has no assurance that a profitable crop will 
be raised. Of course, we all understand that there is land 
in almost perfect condition, properly drained and irri- 
gated, so that one is practically sure of success. This, 
however, is the exception and not the rule, and I doubt, if 
there is one acre in a hundred thousand where almost 
perfect conditions can be artificially made at times when 
there is too much or too little rain. 

Dairying, stock raising and poultry keeping can be 
made successful regardless of weather conditions. If the 
work is properly done there is not one chance in a thou- 
sand of failure. Alfalfa is about the only crop that I have 
raised that will thrive under all sorts of unfavorable 
conditions. When there is just enough moisture and the 
temperature is the most desirable, alfalfa will of course 
make more rapid growth than at times when it is too wet, 
too dry, too cold or too warm, although even during such 
times it will keep on growing and will produce more than 
twice the amount of stock food that one is likely to raise 
by planting other farm crops. When there is an abun- 
dant supply of alfalfa there is always milk, butter, beef, 
poultry, eggs, etc., to sell regardless of weather condi- 
tions. The farmer who conducts his work along this 
line will always have good credit at the bank because 
they always have something to sell to bring in the ready 
cash, and those who make a specialty of one or more 
crops, such as growing onions, potatoes, tomatoes, etc., 
sometimes make very large profits and many times do not 



48 FARMING 

realize enough to pay transportation charges on the pro- 
duce raised and shipped. These things are all perish- 
able and unless they reach the market when they sell at 
a fair price the results are often discouraging. The 
fluctuation in the market price of milk, butter, beef, poul- 
try and eggs is not as great and there is always a good 
market at a price that will pay the grower a profit. 

People who are energetic, enjoy general farm 
work and get pleasure from seeing things grow 
will find the diversified farming, as above referred 
to, the most satisfactory and profitable. If one 
wishes an easy living from a poor farm there 
is no better way than to seed it all to alfalfa 
and sell the hay. This is about the only kind of farming 
that can be practiced when selling the entire crop with- 
out exhausting the soil. The longer alfalfa is grown on 
land, even after all of the hay is sold, the better the land 
will be. When farming for alfalfa hay only, there is 
nothing to do but to harvest, sell the crop and pocket the 
money, after all of the fields have once been seeded. This 
is, no doubt, the most desirable way for people to farm 
who are well along in years and also for those who can 
do but little of the actual farm work. When the alfalfa 
is once thoroughly established it will bring in a steady, 
continuous annual income of a greater amount than the 
value of the average farm land. 

ALFALFA COMPARED WITH RED CLOVER. 

One hundred bushels of red clover seed was the first 
purchase made after buying a large farm. This red 
clover was sown in oat, rye and wheat fields at the rate of 
half a bushel per acre. On most of the fields we had a 
good stand of red clover and on the fields where the con- 
ditions were favorable the red clover grew and produced 
abundantly, furnishing a lot of good pasture the first fall 
and giving us two cuttings of hay the following year. 



FARMING 49 

The third year it was plowed under and planted to corn 
and the results were quite satisfactory. The larger por- 
tion of the fields, however, did not have sufficient humus 
in the soil to make the clover grow properly and the seed 
on all of this land was practically wasted. 

A nearby field that was almost as barren and hard 
as the road, in fact, too poor for either oats or red clover, 
was thoroughly fitted and sown to alfalfa after having 
been inoculated and receiving an application of litter 
from the poultry coops. It was the humus and nitrate in 
this litter that saved the crop and helped to support the 
life of the bacteria. We are still cutting the field three 
or four times every year while the surrounding fields of 
better land, sown to red clover have been plowed two or 
three times and the crops harvested have not been worth 
half as much as the alfalfa hay produced on the poorest 
field which did not have any cultivation or seeding except 
the first time, and while the red clover seed cost as much 
per bushel as the alfalfa seed, it only produced about 
half as much hay the second year as we had from the 
alfalfa field and it was not worth more than half as much 
to feed. One reason for there being so piuch diff'erence in 
the value of the hay is because of the difificulty in curing 
the red clover, especially where there is a heavy stand, 
and unless it is properly cured its value is not equal to 
alfalfa that has been harvested under the same unfavor- 
able conditions. 

Red clover used in a short rotation and plowed under 
every three or four years will add humus to the soil more 
quickly than alfalfa. It will also render the soil in a 
more productive condition and in a shorter space of time. 
On land where red clover can be successfully grown and 
on fields that will be used for cultivated crops later, it 
can be sown to advantage, although it is believed that 
sweet clover will build up the land as quickly and at the 
same time fit it perfectly for alfalfa. The roots of sweet 



50 FARMING 

clover are of a pulpy nature, decompose quickly and 
furnish large quantities of fertilizing elements in a very 
short time after it is plowed under. Alfalfa while slower 
in improving the soil does the work more thoroughly 
bringing up larger quantities of mineral elements from a 
greater depth than the roots of other plants grow. The 
alfalfa roots are wedgeshape, large at the top and small 
at the bottom. Plants three years old will often have 
roots six to eight feet long, the first foot of the root below 
the surface has a greater weight than the other six or 
seven feet combined, because of this a large portion of the 
fertilizing elements are stored near the surface. It also 
has the advantage of piercing dense subsoils making them 
porous for the reception of water and to assist in drain- 
age. The roots are more of a fibrous nature, slower in 
decomposing and furnishes plant food several years 
after it has been plowed under. 

Our cows have always produced fully 10 per cent, 
more milk on alfalfa than on red clover. All things being 
considered it is believed that one acre of alfalfa will pro- 
duce a greater net income, five years in succession, than 
could be had from two acres of red clover, as the expense 
of plowing, fitting and reseeding must be taken from the 
gross income, when comparing it with a five year crop of 
alfalfa. 

CATTLE, SWINE, SHEEP AND POULTRY. 

As previously stated, cattle, swine, sheep and poultry 
properly kept on an alfalfa farm places one in position to 
get a good income with but very little risk. The branches 
of the stock industry that require the most labor also fur- 
nish the largest profits. If the labor is not to be consider- 
ed, poultry on the farm will furnish a larger income for 
the investment than one is likely to get from any other 
source. Dairying may be considered next in line when 
there is a good market for the milk, cream and butter. 



FARMING 



51 



Hogs bring quick returns because they multiply rapidly 
and can be fed almost anything grown on the farm and 
things that cannot be used for any other purpose, al- 
though alfalfa will keep them in perfect condition even 
during the winter when it is necessary to feed alfalfa 
hay. Sheep and beef cattle can also be made profitable 
even on small farms where alfalfa is well established. It 
never pays to keep common or grade stock when one 
has sufficient funds to purchase registered stock. If there 




These ducks were grown largely on alfalfa that is growing 

around the pond. The actual cost of graih given them 

would not exceed ten cents each. 

is 50 per cent, profit in growing grades there would be 
fully a hundred per cent, profit in growing registered 
poultry, cattle, hogs, etc., when kept under the same 
conditions. We have been raising all of our Guernsey 
heifers for several years at a very small cost. If they 
were to be sold at public auction the profits realized 
from their sale would be greater than the total profits 
from the milk and butter. A good two year old Guern- 
sey heifer, well bred and well grown is worth from 



52 FARMING 

$200.00 to $500.00 and the market value of grades is 
about $50.00. When one is selling butter or cream there 
is also a great advantage in keeping registered Guern- 
seys not only because of the superior quality of their but- 
ter but also because the butter fat is produced at a lower 
cost. There is a greater difference, however, in regis- 
tered hogs. We have young Yorkshires and yearling 
registered pigs that are fully twice as large as the 
grades at the same age. 

I am not prepared to say a great deal from actual 
experience in growing sheep. One of our farm superin- 
tendents, however, has had a considerable experience 
in this work and we shall probably soon add some regis- 
|,ered sheep to our farms as we have some land that can- 
not well be tilled and that can be used for growing sheep 
to good advantage. 

FARM OPPORTUNITIES. 

The opportunities for farming were never more 
promising than at the present time and those who enjoy 
out-of-door life will never regret the time of starting it 
by going cautiously and profiting by the things that have 
■been learned about progressive agriculture. •'^-^•^-:*^'^^" 

Farming the old way with a feeling that the fer- 
tility is being taken from the land in excess of the 
amount replaced would be a most discouraging under- 
taking. It is the thought that we are enjoying our work, 
improving our methods, increasing the fertility of the soil 
and banking a snug incor^e in excess of the actual cost 
of living that makes us, all happy. One who does not 
enjoy farm work, the nature studies and the many 
things of interest on a farm would be unwise to even 
give the business a thought or any consideration. , 

It has generally been considered that farm work is a 
drudgery and that there is too much physical exercise 



FARMING 53 

when considering the returns. This in my opinion is the 
individual and not the business. Any work can be made 
difficult and laborious if it is not handled intelligently. A 
good, clear mind connected with executive ability is of 
greater value on the farm than the strongest muscles. If 
manufacturing business generally were handled along 
the same loose methods that have been applied to the 
large majority of the farms there would not be one 
chance in a thousand for them to make the business 
profitable. 

People with large resources and a general business 
training are becoming greatly interested in farms and 
farm work and while many of them make greater mis- 
takes than the old line farmers there are also some of 
them who grasp the correct principles and forge ahead 
in a way that sets an example to others. It is the inter- 
est of this class of people that is responsible for creating 
a greater demand for farm land, which will eventually 
result in improved methods and will increase the price 
of farms. At the present writing it is believed that 
farms are now selling at the rock bottom price and that 
within a few years all land values will be sufficiently 
increased to make the purchase of a farm a good invest- 
ment without taking into consideration the regular farm 
profits. 

The best farms were the only ones that were of in- 
terest when first commencing farm work. After several 
years experience in nearly all kinds of soil I would con- 
sider a run down farm that could be built up and that 
would retain fertility a better investment than one in 
a high state of cultivation. If the good land has been 
well farmed holding it at its purchase value is about all 
one could expect to do without taking into consideration 
the prospective advance which is sure to come. The 
poorer farms can often be purchased at one-quarter the 
price asked for better land. By taking advantage of the 



54 FARMING 

recent discoveries for improving poor soil it will only be 
a question of a few years before the poorer farms will 
have an equal, if not a greater value than the better 
ones, as the older methods employed in keeping up the 
fertility of the land have a tendency to draw excessively 
on the mineral elements and the newer methods restore 
these elements by the action of the deep rooted plants. 

The perfection and low cost of automobiles is one of 
the principal factors in making farm life more attrac- 
tive. With an inexpensive car one can reach town from 
a distance of five or six miles almost as quickly as the 
center of the city can be reached by trolley cars when 
living in the suburbs. 

There is no other business where one can be so in- 
dependent as on a farm and by close application the op- 
portunities for financial success are greater than in most 
other business enterprises. 

Farms can be purchased here in Chemung County at 
prices ranging from $10.00 to $100.00 per acre. Some 
of the best farms adjoining the city sell at higher prices. 
The farms that are offered at $10.00 to $25.00 per acre, 
generally consist of steep hills and fields not easily cul- 
tivated. A better side hill farm can be purchased at 
prices ranging from $40.00 to $60.00 per acre. All 
things being considered these side hill farms can be 
made of greater value and more productive than farms 
in the valleys that are now being offered for $100.00 to 
$200.00 per acre. Three years work along the lines 
suggested in this book will increase the value of any of 
the $40.00 land to at least $100.00 per acre. More of 
these farms will be added to our present holdings as 
rapidly as they can be given proper attention. It is be- 
lieved that there are just as good opportunities in every 
other county of the state and also in all of the other 
states. 



FARMING 55 

DAIRY AND STOCK FARMING. 

A fifty acre farm with about twelve registered 
cows, fifty registered hogs and two to five hundred head 
of the best poultry would make an ideal proposition for 
the average farmer. There should be at least forty 
acres of tillable land, twenty acres into alfalfa and 
twenty acres for other farm crops. A farm of this kind 
could be handled perfectly with two men and two horses 
and should give one an annual net income of $2,500.00 
to $3,000.00. By doing this work thoroughly taking ad- 
vantage of everything available, three men and four 
horses should be able to handle twice the above number 
of cows, hogs and poultry and keep them in perfect con- 
dition on a fifty acre farm and everything to feed them 
could be raised with the exception of a portion of the 
grain for poultry, as on a small farm of this size it would 
not be profitable to undertake the work of raising it. 
To do the work just as it should be done on larger farms 
the number of men, horses, cattle, etc., should be in- 
creased proportionately, unless one wishes to raise 
cattle and hogs for market in place of keeping a dairy 
which will greatly reduce the amount of labor and the 
number of teams that should be kept. 

FENCING, WATER, SHADE, ETC. 

Good fences on farms where hogs and cattle are 
kept are of the greatest importance. Fences and fields 
arranged for convenience will save a great many steps 
in the course of a year, will be a great factor in the final 
outcome and will also save the loss and annoyance that 
often occurs when cattle break out of fields on account 
of the poor condition of the fences. On most farms it is 
seldom advisable to make all the fields of uniform size 
and follow perfectly straight lines, although there are 
many sections where this kind of division of fields can 



56 FARMING 

be made without any objections. On^ of the things 
to have in mind is easy access to all fields without the 
necessity of going through one field to get to others. 
This can often be arranged by having long, narrow 
fields and it is really an advantage when cultivating or 
mowing as the work can be done without the necessity 
of so much turning around at the end of the rows. 

Shade and water for pasture are also important 
factors in getting maximum results. Natural running 
streams are a great advantage and when these are not 
available small windmills would be the next choice. 
These small mills can often be installed for a smaller 
amount than would be required to carry water long dis- 
tances in pipe. 

A few, good shade trees would be found a great 
comfort to ranging cattle and when these are not in the 
fields there should be a temporary shed for their pro- 
tection from storms, flies, etc. By hanging burlap loose- 
ly over the sides of the shed it will permit of good ven- 
tilation, will be a protection from storm and will also 
darken the enclosure keeping the flies from the cattle. 

MAKING EVERYTHING COUNT FOR SUCCESS. 

Nearly every farmer overlooks many things that 
could be made to assist greatly in improving the land 
and also in getting larger profits from the farm. I have 
seen people on our Florida farms, after burning up large 
piles of brush and stumps let the ashes go to waste by 
allowing the heavy rainstorms to wash them into the 
creeks and at the same time send money away to pur- 
chase fertilizer that was not nearly as good as the ashes 
they already had, and even after showing them that 
ashes and hen manure mixed together would make one 
of the very best fertilizers. 

On small patches of potatoes where a very light 
application of this mixture was used, probably about 



FARMING 57 

500 pounds to the acre, the potatoes yielded at the rate 
of 250 bushels while on other land where commercial 
fertilizer was used the yield was not nearly as good. 
Some of the people who saw these potatoes planted and 
harvested are still allowing their wood ashes and other 
things to go to waste that could be used for fertilizer. 

The ashes made in a year from a common kitchen 
range when properly applied to a growing crop will often 
increase the production, almost enough to pay for the 
fuel. This is not to recommend that farmers should 
purchase wood ashes and is given only as an illustration 
to show how things of this kind can be saved and used 
to advantage. 

On practically all kinds of land the fertilizing ele- 
ments that are found in wood ashes can be taken from 
the subsoil and brought to the surface by the action 
of the roots of alfalfa. When surface soil is deficient of 
these elements for growing a good crop they can often 
be used to advantage and will hasten the process of 
building up the soil. If wood ashes are kept perfectly 
dry and retain all the potash, it is surprising to see what 
a large area a small quantity will cover by dropping in a 
hill so that the plants may get the full benefit. 

The way manure is generally handled about 
twenty-five per cent, of the fertilizing elements is about 
all that is really utilized to improve the land and in- 
crease the production. It should either be distributed 
on sod land every day or saved in a way to retain more 
of the elements. It should be kept dry until ready to 
use, then to get the quickest returns it should be piled 
out-of-doors and turned or shoveled over several times 
to prevent excessive heating and to render it in the best 
condition to make all the fertilizing elements immediate- 
ly available. It should then be dropped in hills, or drills, 
so that the plants may get the full benefit. 

Raw manure broadcasted on land for cultivated 



58 FARMING 

crops is largely wasted. When used in this way it 
should always be applied to meadows or on fields where 
the waste is not so great. The coarse litter and straw that 
is generally a large portion of the manure is of but very 
little value unless it is decomposed before it is used. 
There are a great many kinds of soil where the coarse 
manure plowed under or cultivated in will assist in 
loosening the soil, making it more porous and in better 
physical condition. It also helps in retaining moisture, 
although it is almost impossible to build up poor, hard 
land in this way unless more stock is kept than the farm 
will support and it certainly never pays to keep so many 
head of stock that the larger portion of the returns go 
to purchase material for their maintenance. 

By taking advantage of the information herein con- 
tained in regard to growing sweet clover and alfalfa the 
poorest land may be improved until it will raise a per- 
fect crop. The process, however, is a little slower in 
the beginning which is the reason for suggesting that 
everything available on the farm, that can be made to 
increase the fertility should be saved and applied in a 
way to get the greatest benefit. While large quantities 
of manure and fertilizer properly prepared and applied 
will bring the quickest returns it will take a great many 
more years to make a poor farm good than to build it up 
through the agencies of nitrogen gathering plants. 
When the fertilizer is once restored in this way and by 
continuing the same system that has been used in build- 
ing up the farm there will be continuous improvement 
for all time to come. 

CANNING. 
Farmers who take advantage of every opportunity 
can save many dollars on their living expenses and at 
the same time have an abundant supply of better food 
than can be purchased from local markets. 



FARMING 



59 



There should always be an abundance of every- 
thing good to eat on the farm. During the summer 
months, a large portion of the food supply should be 
taken direct from the garden and in the winter there 
should be a supply of home canned goods of a better 
quality than can be purchased. When one is supplied 
with a simple, little machine for canning, a few canned 
goods can be put up nearly every day during the sum- 
mer without adding greatly to the burdens or the work 
of those who prepare the meals. When preparing vege- 
tables for the table such as corn, beans, peas, beets, 
tomatoes, etc., it is but little extra work to gather and 




The Cycle Canner and eight cans of fruit and vegetables. A 
good way to help make a farm profitable. 

prepare more than will actually be needed. All that 
has been left after the meals are over can be used 
to fill cans and the cans set in a little canner on the back 
of the stove, when the labor is practically over. These 
cans can be set away from day to day until there is 
a large supply of practically everything that has been 
used fresh from the garden and will be just as good 
several months, or even years, later as the day when it 
was prepared. This not only applies to vegetables but 
also includes all kinds of fruit and nearly everything 
that is good to eat. 

During the fall and winter it will pay to fill the 



60 



FARMING 



empty cans with chicken, beef, fresh pork, sausage and 
other kinds of meat that can be preserved perfectly to 
use during the summer months, when fresh meat can- 
not be kept more than a day or two. 

The money saved in this way and invested in fruit 
trees, alfalfa seed and other things for farm improve- 
ments will greatly assist in the final success. One never 
knows the satisfaction there is in having an abundant 
supply of everything good to eat at all times, until after 
they have had the experience. There is no excuse for 
one who owns or works a farm to be short of food for 




The Canner is open showing the finished product. 

the table and when they are it is always a case of mis- 
management or lack of energy. It is surprising to see 
how many things one can raise on their land when prop- 
erly interested and willing to work to see what can be 
accomplished. Those who work a farm are entitled to 
the best of everything to eat and by taking advantage 
of every opportunity there will always be an abundant 
supply. 

MISTAKES. 

It is believed that the greatest mistake made since 
commencing our farm work has been in plowing and 



FARMING 



61 



cultivating too much land at a time. In fact, more than 
we could cultivate perfectly and complete the work at 
the time it should be done. This is one place where it 
is not profitable to be too optimistic, expecting more of 
our men and teams than they are capable of doing. 
When the farm work once gets behind it is almost im- 
possible to catch up so that the work can be done at a 
time when one day in the field will do more good than 
several days later. When we see many fields not pro- 




The wheat was left out of the drill when making one trip 

across the field. The alfalfa is not any larger and the 

weeds are growing in place of wheat. 

ducing as they should, there is always a great tempta- 
tion to try and make them more productive and this, of 
course, is what we should do^ if not undertaking so 
much that the fields cannot be thoroughly prepared. 

Some of our fields have frequently been harrowed 
a dozen times before seeding and I am positive that 
in some cases twice the amount of harrowing would 
have given us enough better results to more than pay 
for the additional labor. When we take into considera- 



62 FARMING 

tion that in fitting land for alfalfa it is only necessary to 
do the work once in many years we should feel that we 
could well afford to do many times the amount of work 
that would be necessary in preparing the field for a 
single crop. 

Other mistakes have been made in raising crops 
that were not profitable and had we taken the time to 
figure the cost of preparing the land for certain crops 
and the value of the same' after being harvested we 
would have realized our mistake. For several years we 
sowed a hundred acres of oats every spring. Had we 
given fifty acres an equal amount of tillage and sown 
wheat in place of oats we would have had twice the in- 
come, although wheat has never been very profitable on 
our farms as it is necessary to deduct the full amount of 
labor before there is anything left for profit. We are 
now making it profitable as the wheat is sown with 
alfalfa and the only additional cost is the price of the 
seed. Because of the thorough preparation the soil 
has for alfalfa the wheat is a great deal more produc- 
tive. On fields where only a bushel of wheat was sown 
to the acre we have had an average yield of thirty 
bushels. We are inclined to think that the alfalfa 
grown with the wheat is partly responsible for the in- 
creased production as the alfalfa properly inoculated 
accumulates nitrogen that assists in the growth of the 
wheat. 

Another mistake was made for several years in rais- 
ing corn for ensilage on all of our best land. It requires 
good land to grow a good crop of corn for ensilage and 
it must have heavy applications of manure or fertilizer 
to keep the land up for its production year after year, 
and it is still a question whether it pays us to raise any 
corn for ensilage. By using some of our best land for pota- 
toes, beets, carrots, etc., we can generally sell enough to 
give us a good profit and by using the balance to feed 



FARMING 63 

the stock we will get nearly as much food value as we 
have from the corn ensilage without realizing anything 
from it excepting that which we get from the cows and 
the other crops do not take nearly as much from the soil. 
On farms where alfalfa is not grown it may be necessary 
to make ensilage in order to keep up the milk supply. We 
shall continue the experiment along this line until we 
are fully satisfied as to the advisability of raising corn 
for ensilage. 

There has been times when it would have paid us to 
employ more labor as the success of a cultivated crop 
depends largely upon the time when it is planted and 
also on the cultivation and treatment while it is grow- 
ing. We had seventy acres of potatoes this year and on 
account of the excessive rainfall it was impossible to 
keep them all sprayed and properly cultivated with the 
help and machinery we had. If we had given forty 
acres an equal amount of spraying and cultivat- 
ing W'e could have had as many potatoes as we will 
now get on the seventy acres. Some of the first fields 
that had the best care and also some of the last ones 
planted were growing at a time when they could have 
proper attention and this has resulted in twice the yield 
we had from the fields that could not be taken care of 
when the work should have been done. Thorough 
preparation, thorough cultivation and careful attention 
during the growing season is almost sure to result in 
perfect success. 

It will probably be best to stop writing about our 
mistakes. If we were to continue this until we had 
covered them all there would not be room for much of 
anything else. 



64 



FARMING 



POULTRY. 

Poultry on the farm should be one of the first 
things to consider. Even the poorest soil will support a 
large flock of poultry and provide an immediate income 
in addition to the fertilizer produced which is actually 
worth 25 per cent, of the cost of the food consumed by 
the hens for an average farm crop. For the production 
of alfalfa it is believed that the fertilizer produced by 
a hundred hens would add fully a hundred dollars to 




Some of a flock of 600 pullets that have access to 
alfalfa range. 

the value of the alfalfa crop. The fertilizer produced 
from a hundred hens when properly prepared and 
applied will be enough to force a five acre field of 
alfalfa into rapid growth. 

The smallest and poorest farm should support at 
least two hundred hens. When taking into considera- 
tion the several sources of profit, they can be made to 
furnish the farmers a net income of $500.00 per year. 
The eggs are easily exchanged for cash and are pro- 



FARMING 



65 



duced largely at a season of the year when there is 
but little to furnish an income from other sources unless 
one is running a dairy farm. 

Generally speaking poultry is neglected more than 
other things on the farm and the profit the average 
farmer derives from this source is not more than 25 per 
cent, of the amount that should be received. When 
poultry is kept as only one branch in a system of diver- 
sified farming the question of labor in caring for them 
should also be carefully considered. The laying hens 
and half grown chickens when handled in connection 
with other farm work, should not be confined to coops, 




The Brooder Coops are easily made and unexcelled for raising 
chickens to broiler size. 

houses or small runs. They should have freedom of 
the fields and fenced from the garden and all of the 
farm buildings also from the road when it is a main 
thoroughfare. By studying the condition and providing 
a coop so that it will be convenient for the attendant and 
away from other farm buildings it is not diflficult to 
teach the poultry to range back into the fields where 



66 FARMING 

they can gather more than half of their food from early- 
spring until late fall. An enclosure of an acre for two 
hundred hens should be provided so that the hens can 
be confined while fields of corn, grain and other farm 
crops are being started. After having a good, substan- 
tial start the poultry running through the fields will be a 
benefit as they will help to destroy a great many insects 
that injure farm crops. They should not be given their 
liberty while using poisonous sprays on potatoes, fruit 
trees, etc., although it is seldom necessary to confine 
them more than a week, and it is generally safe to let 
them out as soon as there is a heavy rain after applying 
the poison. 

Two hundred laying hens can be kept on the farm 
at a cost not to exceed fifty cents per day. There should 
be a net income from the sale of eggs amounting to not 
less than $2.00 per day, for at least two hundred and 
fifty days. There are not many farms where more than 
two hundred hens can be kept and not many farmers 
who will give the work enough attention to make a 
larger flock furnish as large a net income as would be 
derived from the above number. When increasing the 
flock beyond this number it takes one into the specialty 
business and requires greater knowledge, a larger in- 
vestment and a great deal more labor to equal the re- 
turns from a smaller flock. When two hundred laying 
hens are kept there should be about five hundred chick- 
ens raised each season to replace the old hens, as the 
profits are 25 per cent, greater the first year of a hen's 
life than may be expected from her the second year. 
Cockerels should be sold for broilers and roasters just 
as soon as they are old enough and in fit condition for 
market and when the work is properly handled the in- 
come from this source should pay the cost of raising all 
of the chickens, including the pullets. Two hundred 
pullets can be selected to replace the old hens and the 



FARMING 



67 



annual sale of the hens can be placed to the credit of 
the poultry branch of the farm work. 

To raise five hundred chickens at the smallest cost 
there should be an acre selected near the house for 
the brooder coops and enclosed with a five foot fence. 
Chickens should be confined in these coops until nearly 
feathered then allowed to range until about three 
months old when they can be placed outside of the 
brooder coop yard and have an unlimited range. 

In these days of perfected incubators and brooders 
it never pays to set eggs under hens and allow the 
chickens to run with them. The chickens should be 
hatched in incubators and placed in Brooder Coops 
with heatless brooders in lots of about one hun- 




The small Hatchers can be used to advantage on nearly all farms, even 
where thousands of chickens are hatched annually. 

dred. Four Cycle Hatchers and four Twin 
Brooder Coops with Brooders will make an ideal 
outfit for the farmer who wishes to raise five hun- 
dred chickens. With this equipment all of the chickens 
can be raised early in the spring coming to maturity in 
the early fall when eggs sell at the highest prices. One 



68 



FARMING 



of the men in our poultry yard has raised over three 
thousand chickens this summer in addition to running 
incubators and having the care of several hundred lay- 
ing hens. These chickens were all hatched in Cycle 
Hatchers and raised in Twin Brooder Coops as shown 
in the illustration. 

This system of brooding is one of our latest dis- 
coveries and by its use one man can handle twice as 
many chickens as can be handled by other systems 




Twin Brooder Coops with hover in one and range for 
scratching in the other. 

that have been in general use. We have never raised a 
larger percentage of the chickens hatched and have 
never had stronger and healthier young fowls than we 
have at the present time. It is better not to undertake 
the poultry work on the farm than attempt to raise 
chickens the way they are generally raised as the work 
would involve too much labor and the danger of the 
chickens being taken by rats, weasels, cats, hawks, etc., 
is too great to give one any assurance of success. By rais- 



FARMING 69 

ing them in brooder coops all of these dangers are 
eliminated and the success of the work may be assured. 

There are many reasons why farmers do not make 
as much from the poultry as they should. One of these 
reasons is because the hens are kept until they are too 
old to be profitable, another the loss in trying to raise 
chickens to replace the hens and also because the chick- 
ens are generally raised too late in the season to reach 
maturity at a time of the year when they would be most 
profitable. When considering the appliances used by 
the average farmer for raising chickens it is not surpris- 
ing that the results have not been more satisfactory. The 
investment required for the total equipment to raise five 
hundred chickens annually and to keep two hundred 
laying hens is small in comparison with any other farm 
investment, that would yield an equal income. It is also 
a business that can be built up gradually and by starting 
with an equipment to raise a hundred chickens and 
keeping fifty laying hens the capital required would be 
a very small amount. 

The profits derived from a smaller flock used to in- 
crease the equipment will soon give one an ideal poultry 
plant, large enough to meet the requirements of the 
farm. There are a great many farms where five hun- 
dred, a thousand or even more hens could be kept and 
each one made to produce an income equal to those of 
a smaller flock. It would be best, however, to master 
the details of the work while keeping a smaller number 
of hens when it will not be diflficult to increase the num- 
ber provided the conditions and surroundings can be 
made as favorable for a larger number. 

When one is making a specialty of the poultry 
business in the city and suburbs where it is necessary to 
purchase all of the food, better results can be had by 
keeping them confined to coops. When handling poul- 
try in this way it requires more labor and the one in 



70 



FARMING 



charge must have more knowledge of the work as it will 
be necessary to be the judge in regard to the different 
kinds of food and the amount of each kind the hens 
are allowed to eat. When they are on unlimited range 
there is generally an opportunity to make their own 
selection and they nearly always find things best 




The Brooder Hatcher is an ideal machine for poultrymen 
with small flocks. 

adapted to their requirements. There are, of course, 
times when an expert who has made a very careful study 
of feeding for the production of strong, fertile eggs can 
get better results feeding in coops than are had from 
hens on free range as they are not altogether unlike 
people and will sometimes eat large quantities of things 
not best for them. A real expert feeder has a better 
knowledge of what the hens should consume, although 
the hens natural ability to select certain kinds of food 
will generally produce better results than when com- 
pelled to eat things given them by one who does not 
thoroughly understand the work. 

There are but few people who realize the impor- 



FARMING 



71 



tance of a correct system of feeding in order to get eggs 
that will produce strong, healthy chickens that are 
easily raised. They seldom take into consideration the 
fact that the chicken must develop and grow from 
whatever elements the eggs contain and that these ele- 
ments vary in quality in accordance with the variation 
of the quality and kind of food the hens consume. The 
protein in the egg is one of the most important elements 
for the life and growth of the chick. When this protein 
is of an inferior quality and insufficient in quantity the 





The Adjustable Coop has some advanlages in hot weather and 
it also keeps fowls comfortable in zero weather. 

chick will die in the shell and this often happens the 
first week after incubation starts and sometimes at later 
stages of the growth, even up to the hatching time. 
When the necessary elements of the proper quality in 
the egg have been used the chicken cannot live and the 
size of the egg does not have as much bearing on the 
size and strength of the chicken as the quality of the 
food the egg contains and a very small egg from the 
best system of feeding will often produce a better chick 
than is hatched from large ones that have been laid 
when the hens were not properly fed. 

The chicken is grown entirely from the white of the 



72 



FARMING 



egg and the yolk has nothing to do with its growth. 
When it is fully developed and leaves the shell, it then 
absorbs the yolk which furnishes food for three or four 
days or until the chicken is old enough to derive nourish- 
ment from the food it consumes. When the elements of 
the yolk are of an inferior quality there is no chance for 
the chicken to live but when the yolk is composed of the 
correct proportions of easily digestible food there is but 




The Economy Coop is inexpensive and furnishes comfortable 
quarters for choice pens of fowls. 

little difficulty in raising the chickens and they will 
grow and thrive on food and treatment that would be 
sure death to a chicken hatched from an egg having the 
yolk composed of a poorer quality of indigestible food. 

Free range on the farm and the coop system for 
specialists in town will always be found the most profit- 
able. We have studied many years and have made a 
great many experiments in the use of different kinds of 



FARMING 



73 



houses and coops for poultry and now have two kinds 
of coops for farm use, one is high enough for a man to 
enter and the other one only high enough for the fowls' 
comfort. This coop furnishes better conditions for the 
poultry and the larger coop has some advantages for 
the poultryman. The higher coop is more expensive to 
build and will probably last a little longer although the 




Twenty-five hent m u Lliiii^ Luui^ --i^jiild H'ji ,( l '.■wnci- ht'ly 

dollars profit in twelve months from the sale of 

market eggs. 

results will not be any better than may be expected from 
the lower coops. Some of the larger coops can also be 
used to advantage by expert poultrymen who make a 
specialty of the business, although the smaller coops 
will always give one better results for pedigree breeding 
and by their use the egg production is greatly increased. 
A few of these smaller coops can always be used to ad- 
vantage on a farm for broody hens and also when one 
wishes to keep a few of the finest specimens of the flock 
together for breeding purposes and the larger coops can 
be used to advantage in the city for growing chickens. 

It is hardly possible to cover all details of the poul- 
try business in this book as thoroughly as would seem 



74 



FARMING 



best. The suggestions offered and thoughts advanced 
are furnished largely to give farmers an opportunity to 
see the possibilities in the poultry business. We are in 
position to furnish additional information to all those 
who may require it. 

POTATOES. 

Both Irish and sweet potatoes are very valuable as 
stock food and should be raised on nearly all farms. 
Sweet potatoes cannot be grown to advantage except in 



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B^SS^^^^ 


1^ 


HB^^HiDdHpPj)iH^''^&2^^ 





A field of potatoes o'n land that cost $16.00 per acre. 

localities where the summer season is long enough for a 
crop to mature before frost. Irish potatoes can be profit- 
ably grown in nearly all sections of the United States, 
including the extreme south, and they do not draw as 
heavily on the soil as most crops having an equal value 
in market or for stock food. 

To grow a perfect crop of Irish potatoes there 
must be plenty of nitrogen and humus in the soil to give 
the vines a good start as it is impossible to grow a good 



FARMING 



75 



crop of potatoes with small vines and the other fertiliz- 
ing elements necessary for growing the tubers will not 
make thrifty vines without the nitrogen. Even where 
land is deficient in potash and the other elements 
necessary for the tubers, strong, thrifty vines will go 
a long way towards gathering the limited quantity of 
the elements necessary to grow potatoes. Our farm land 
in this vicinity, especially on the hills, has all the 
necessary elements in very large quantities for grow- 




A few of the crates in the corner of a held where the hind had 
been improved by plowing under alfalfa. 

ing a perfect potato crop with the exception of humus 
and nitrogen. When these elements are supplied by 
sweet clover and alfalfa the conditions are made ideal 
for potatoes and by proper spraying and cultivation it is 
not difficult to get from two to three hundred bushels to 
the acre without the use of commercial fertilizer. 

Potatoes make excellent stock food, either cooked 
or raw, and can be kept in perfect condition for feeding 
for several months. When there are more small pota- 



76 FARMING 

toes than can be fed while they are in good condition 
and at times when the market price is below thirty cents 
per bushel, the potatoes can be sliced, dried and kept in- 
definitely making the best food for horses, cattle or 
swine. They can also be ground into meal. Whole pota- 
toes at thirty cents per bushel have a feeding value 
when dried about equal to oats at fifty cents per bushel. 
By having a good supply of dried potatoes, other root 
crops and the best quality of alfalfa hay, stock can be 
kept in perfect condition without any grain and as the 
cost of grain is taking the larger portion of the profits 
from the average dairy farm those who learn a system 
of farming that will give them equal, or better, results 
without buying grain will find their profits increasing 
rapidly. 



\ 








IM 




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^^^ 




Olfj|li7iVP'^39| 


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Many Florida farmers seem to think that corn will not grow well there. 
^^ This photograph, taken in July, shows a field planted in April on land 
where a crop of beans had been recently harvested, making 
the second crop on the same land in about six months. 

FARMING IN FLORIDA 

Quite a large tract of farm land was purchased 
about three years ago on the east coast of Florida in Palm 
Beach County. Since that time I have been gradually 
increasing farm operations and have made many inter- 
esting experiments. 



FARMING 



77 



I have discovered that the very same way of hand- 
ling the soil on our farms in Elmira will also produce 
excellent results on our Florida Farms, although it is 
necessary to change the plan of farming because of the 
continuous growing season and the possibility of raising 
several market crops on the same land each year, in 
addition to devoting at least one crop exclusively to soil 
improvement. 




This illustration shows the ends of the rows of 
our Florida corn field. By comparison to 
the size of the man it is not difficult 
to tell whether the Florida con- 
ditions are favorable for 
raising corn. 

It is believed that the greatest mistake that is now 
being made by nearly all Florida farmers is in devoting 
their time almost entirely to one crop. When the grow- 
ing season and the market conditions are most favorable 
one crop will often furnish enough funds to pay the 
living expenses of the average farmer for several years. 



78 FARMING 

Such cases, however, are the exception and not the rule. 
The plan of diversified farming has even more advan- 
tages in Florida than here in New York State because of 
the continuous growing season and the fact that poultry 
and all kinds of stock do exceptionally well there. Every- 
one who wishes to make the greatest success at Florida 
farming should gradually develop the work along this 
line. 

When farming during the winter months, I have 
often wished that it would be possible to continue the 
work throughout the year and I am planning to devote 
more time on the Florida Farms in the future and expect 
at some later date to publish a book devoted exclusively 
to farming in Florida. 



Printed and Bound 

BY THE 

PHILO PRESS 

Elmira, N. Y. 



iM^ 



